Better Than Expected
Rachel Berry was having a really bad morning. She NEVER overslept. She was Rachel - I have a schedule for everything – Berry. She was famous for it. Well, actually she was famous for being a Broadway star, but you get the point. Late wasn't something she was used to being. The pouring rain made it ten times harder to get a cab in the city, so she was practically running down 8th Avenue to get to the theatre. She wondered if a screw-up like this was enough to fire her assistant for, as she imagined the conversation they were going to have about why he hadn't called to make sure she was ready for her interview this morning, or why a car hadn't been outside her apartment to take her to it, or why he wasn't answering his phone.
She was late, but if there was a day she couldn't miss her morning coffee then this was it. Plus, it would give her something to hold to prevent her hand from going straight to Scott's throat to throttle him. The Starbucks was finally in her sights as the heel of her Louboutin caught in a steam grate.
She bent down to extract all 5 inches of the heel from its steel trap without losing her balance. The process probably would've been easier if her hair wasn't so wet it was sticking to her face and preventing her from seeing what she was doing.
"For fuck's sake! These are brand new. Scott is never gonna hear the end of this when I see him..." Being in a raging bad mood like this one always made her mumble under her breath.
"Shit!" She lost her balance and her left leg that had been supporting her weight moved backwards in a reflex movement to stop herself from falling to the ground.
"Agh, fuck! Watch what you're doing lady! Those shoes should be put on the offensive weapons list! That seriously hurt!" The woman had put her hands on Rachel's back to prevent her putting any more of her weight on the spike heel of the shoe that had her foot impaled.
Rachel adjusted her footing, as best she could with one foot still stuck, so she could move her weight back off the other woman.
"Hey! These are Christian Louboutin Pigalle... Oh my God. Quinn?"
"Jesus...! Berry? Well, I never expected to see you again. At least not on a billboard or a magazine cover."
"I'm terribly sorry for standing on your foot, but you see I'm having a bit of trouble here... and... this damn thing... is stuck!" She was bent back down again and struggling in her quest to free herself.
"Damn thing? I thought they were a Louboutin classic?" Quinn laughed a little as she said the words, feeling suddenly very comfortable to be mocking Rachel Berry again after ten years, although this time it was meant in fun. What she wasn't so comfortable with was the realisation that she had been checking out her ass in that pencil skirt, which was clinging to her body in all the right places.
"Ha ha, Quinn! Would you mind helping me out here? I feel like if I have to stay out in this rain any longer I'll melt like the Wicked Witch of the West"
Quinn took her eyes off Rachel's butt and crouched down to help her.
"The Wicked Witch of the West?" Only Rachel would bring that up now. "I already know that you play Elphaba, Rachel, and that wasn't exactly a subtle way of bringing it up, even if I didn't." Quinn was seeing the funny side to this situation, but Rachel didn't realise that. The shoe was relieved from the grate and Rachel stood up to her full 5ft 7 inches. This is why she loved these shoes. She locked eyes with Quinn who was exactly the same height when she too stood back up.
"Look Quinn, I appreciate your help freeing my shoe of its confines of that damn grate and I really am sorry I stood on your foot, but if you're just going to go back to mocking me then I'm going to go and get my coffee and then get to the theatre. I'm running late and I'm wet enough already from standing here talking to you!"
It wasn't until Quinn had to stifle a giggle that Rachel realised what she'd said.
"I didn't mean... I meant the rain was... Oh you know what, forget it, Quinn! See you around."
She started to make her way into Starbucks but Quinn caught up to her and held the door open for her, still smiling from seeing Rachel get flustered.
"I'm sorry, Rachel" She tried to straighten her smile back to a more neutral expression so Rachel wouldn't still think she was mocking her. "Please, let me buy your coffee to make up for it."
"Fine." Quinn could tell she was having a really bad day already, so was pleased that Rachel didn't just throw the offer straight back in her face. "But let's get inside. I really am soaked."
This time Quinn couldn't keep it at a giggle and laughed out loud, but now Rachel saw the funny side too.
"Quinn!" She was only joking now, as was made obvious by the smile her mouth was shaped into, and to emphasise that, she playfully slapped Quinn's arm as she walked past her into the warm, dry, coffee shop.
"Are you always this filthy minded? You've changed a lot since high school if you are."
"Yes I am. And yes, I really have. Right... what would you like, Ms. Berry?"
"Oh really, Ms. Fabray?" She raised her left eyebrow in a way Quinn would be proud of. "Well I wish I had more time to catch up and find out what that meant, but as I said, I'm running really late. Oh, can I have a tall, double shot Caffé Americano please?"
They moved to the end of the line and Quinn looked up at the boards behind the counter.
"Wow! You like your coffee strong!"
"Well I need a double shot because I'm crabby and coffee calms me down, and I have this particular type because there's no milk in it. Vegan, remember?"
"Oh right, of course. Well I..."
Rachel's phone starting ringing. Quinn was surprised it wasn't a show-tune of some description, or even one of Rachel's own recordings of one.
"Excuse me for a second, Quinn? I need to take this. It's my assistant."
Quinn got to the front of line and was just ordering the coffees as Rachel returned looking triumphant.
"Can we get them to drink here instead of to go please?" She addressed the barista. "I hope that's okay with you, Quinn?" she checked to gauge Quinn's reaction to being seen in public with her longer than she previously thought.
"Sure, it's fine. You're not running late now then?"
The barista changed the order and the two women moved to the end of the counter to wait to collect their drinks.
"No. Scott rearranged the interview and told everyone else but forgot to tell me. I gave him a piece of my mind, it was very unprofessional of him, but it actually ended up working out quite fortuitously. Now I can find out more about the new, filthy minded Quinn Fabray." The eyebrow went up again in a silent challenge as she made eye contact, before grabbing her coffee and walking away to find them a table.
-/-/-
They were halfway to finishing their coffees and Rachel had discovered that Quinn had followed her career. It was pretty hard to avoid hearing about Rachel Berry if you lived in Manhattan, and Quinn found it twice as hard because she had actually once known her. She found it easier just to give into her curiosity quite early on in Rachel's Broadway career. She had also found out that Quinn had been intern and then assistant to a well renowned photographer and was hoping, in the next few months, to step out on her own and set up her own photography business.
"Who would've guessed we would both end up in New York and both have careers we love?" Rachel asked the question and Quinn scoffed.
"Well, I'm pretty sure everyone with ears, or anyone within a hundred mile radius of Lima, Ohio would've expected you to be in New York and successful. It was your dream after all. I'm sure the fact that I ended up here, doing the job I do and living the lifestyle I lead would come as a bit more of a shock to some." Quinn looked away from Rachel as she thought about the people who had told her she was worth nothing all those years ago when she got pregnant at sixteen. A woman sitting at a table behind Rachel's right shoulder caught her eye as she looked back up. She was looking straight at Quinn with a flirty smile, and she winked. She actually winked!
Quinn looked down to stifle a laugh at the obviousness of the woman but when she looked back again, the woman was still gazing at her, only looking slightly more self conscious, now with a more self depreciating smile. Quinn gave her a genuine smile and a small shake of her head as if to indicate that she wasn't offended as she appraised her. She was attractive. Long shiny light brown hair, green eyes, gorgeous figure hugging button down baby blue blouse, and jeans that Quinn thought could probably not be any tighter without being obscene, all finished off with a pair of shoes to rival Rachel's.
Quinn snapped her eyes back to Rachel as she heard her call her name.
"What were you looking at?"
"Nothing. It doesn't matter. Sorry, what were you saying?" Flustered looked a bit out of place on Quinn but Rachel let it slide.
"I said, that obviously I now know you live in New York and you are a photographer, but I'm intrigued to know more about your lifestyle. You mentioned the subject after all?" She placed her chin on her hand and rested her elbow on the table, leaning forward as if to challenge Quinn into opening up a bit more to her.
She was seriously intrigued with the woman sitting opposite her. Her confidence had obviously grown a lot over the years and her love for her job was obvious. She was so passionate about it. She'd never seen Quinn passionate about anything before, except maybe her desire to become prom queen junior and senior year.
"Well..." she was accepting the challenge but she would make Rachel work for the information "...you know I work in the arts, and you know I..."
"Can I help you?" Rachel huffed, looking up at the person standing next to their table wondering what on earth could be so important that it warranted interrupting their conversation.
"Well, I just wanted to give your friend this." She turned from addressing Rachel and presented Quinn with a business card. "I saw you checking me out over there, even after I'd embarrassed myself. Give me a call sometime."
"Thanks... er... Natasha." She read the name off the card and then looked back up and smiled at her, turning her body slightly more towards her to put the card in her pocket. "I might just do that."
She'd been holding eye contact with Natasha throughout the brief exchange, so it was totally unexpected when she felt Rachel pull her by the collar of her shirt halfway across the table and crash their lips together.
Quinn moaned at the contact, out of shock more than anything, but then realised that Rachel's lips were incredibly soft and moving in just the right ways against her own.
"Ahem"
Rachel released the shirt bunched between her fingers and removed her lips from Quinn's at the sound.
Quinn sat back in her chair with a stunned expression, mouth hanging open, just staring at Rachel, wondering what the fuck was going on. Never in a million years would she have thought that Rachel Berry would be kissing her when she woke up this morning.
"Sorry... I, um... I didn't realise you two were together. What with you checking me out AND taking my card."
She was obviously a bit pissed that her play for Quinn now appeared to have been shot down. With that she turned to face Rachel who actually looked equally as dumbstruck as Quinn.
"Can I suggest that you take my advice and make a bit more effort with your girlfriend? She's hot. And if you won't make the effort with her, then someone else will." With that, she strode out of the shop and back out into the rain, but neither Quinn nor Rachel noticed. They were still sitting staring at each other. Quinn still hadn't managed to make a coherent thought other than what the fuck and Rachel looked like she was preparing herself to receive a slushie in the face.
Having not been able to get passed her one thought, Quinn voiced it. "What. The holy fuck. Was that?"
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Quinn. I don't know what came over me. I just saw her talking to you and I saw you looking at her and everything hit me all at once. I didn't think. Oh god. I'm so sorry."
She stood up, grabbed her bag and was pulling her jacket off the back of the chair when Quinn finally got her brain into gear.
"Rachel, wait! You don't have to run off. Just sit down and finish your coffee."
She didn't particularly want to go. She'd been really enjoying catching up with the blonde, she just thought Quinn would regret meeting her again now because she messed up a potential date opportunity. "Really?" The word came out more hopeful than she'd intended it to.
"Yeah." She sounded exasperated. "I still wanna know what possessed you to do that but you don't have to run away. We're adults, Rachel, not teenagers anymore."
"Oh. Okay. If you're sure?" Quinn directed her eyes from Rachel to the chair, silently assuring Rachel that she was and she should sit back down. "I really am sorry Quinn. She was very attractive. I'm sorry if I ruined a potential relationship in the making." She sat back down in the seat that was amazingly still upright following her haste to leave.
Quinn laughed. "A potential relationship in the making? You jump ahead a bit don't you? She only gave me her card, Rach."
Rachel was relieved she was starting to see the funny side. She ducked her head feeling embarrassment colour her cheeks but was reassured by the shortened version of her name Quinn had used to address her.
"Yeah. I guess. I'm sorry."
"Rachel. I know you're sorry. You don't have to keep saying it. Just explain to me why you did it. Please?" The last word was accompanied by Quinn's hand being placed on top of Rachel's on the table, to reassure her again and to make her focus on answering her question.
"Like I said before... everything just hit me at once and I didn't think. I was kissing you before I realised I was doing it. Does that even make sense? I mean, I had no idea you were gay. And then your comment about the lifestyle you lead and realising that you were distracted from our conversation by a beautiful woman dawned on me. Then before I had time to process it, she came over here and asked you out... it all happened so fast. I'm sorry." Rachel's hands were flailing around and she seemed to be getting herself more worked up the longer she spoke.
"Rachel. Calm down." She grabbed her hands and brought them back down to the table, keeping her own on top of them to try and help her relax a little. "I do understand that it might be a bit of a shock to you that the pregnant cheerleader from high school is now a lesbian. Believe me, I found that difficult to understand myself for a while."
She squeezed Rachel's hands gently and ducked her head slightly in an attempt to make eye contact with the brunette so she could see that she was serious.
"What I don't understand is why you kissed me. I knew you wouldn't judge me, but I really can't see where that kiss came from."
Rachel blew out a stream of air through her lips. "I'm not certain why I did it, Quinn." She looked straight into Quinn's eyes. "I guess I was just really enjoying getting to know you again. You are so passionate about things and it made me really happy to see that you are doing something amazing with your life and that you love it so much. I'm so happy for you, Quinn. Your happiness was rubbing off on me." Her smile had changed from a nostalgic one to a bright dazzling one as she spoke and the blonde could tell she was genuine.
"And then she came over. And I realised she wanted you. And that you wanted her. But I wanted you to be here talking to me. I didn't want her to take you away from me again so soon. I just reacted. There was no thinking going on." She looked down at their hands which were still placed on top of each other between them on the table.
"I've thought about you a lot over the years, Quinn. I wondered if you got out of Lima or if you and Finn had that life you told me you would, with kids and part ownership in the Hummel's garage. I know I was in a foul mood when we first met this morning, but I was so pleased to see you. Scott owes you his job, because if I hadn't been so happy to see you and glad at the opportunity to have this coffee with you, I would have fired him for his negligence and the resulting terrible morning I was having."
Quinn laughed at the thought. Rachel had changed in a lot of ways, but her tendency for dramatics was not one of them.
"And when Natasha came over, she was ruining it and I felt..."
"Jealous?"
"What? No. Of course not. Why would I be jealous?"
"You've already answered your own question. You said you thought she wanted to take me away from you."
Rachel was staring at Quinn with the same expression Quinn had been wearing following the kiss. From now on to be named by Rachel as the 'what the fuck?' look.
"Quinn. I..."
"Look, Rach. I don't know much about your life. Before today I only knew what I've read in magazines and tabloids, and how much of that is true, I have no idea, but what I've learnt about you today, I really like. I'm glad you nearly severed my toes this morning, because I've got to see a side of Rachel Berry that not many people do, and for the record, I've thought about you a lot since high school too. It's kinda hard not to with that massive billboard of you in Times Square you know." She was doing a good job of putting the singer at ease following her discovery of her own jealously. Playing up to her attention seeking side by mentioning that billboard, she hoped, would get her to open up to her a bit more.
"I'm just having trouble taking this in. I think you're right. I was jealous. You were flirting with her. She was gorgeous. Why the hell wouldn't you flirt with her? I mean, if someone like that hit on me, I'd have trouble saying no too. I don't know why I reacted like that though. I don't get jealous that often. I know you might find that hard to believe after our history with boys when we were at McKinley, but I don't. People normally leave me before I have a chance to get jealous. Apparently I have more of a relationship with my job than any of my previous girlfriends. A couple of them have told me so themselves. But with you... just then... talk about zero to sixty. I've known this new you for no time at all and I'm marking my territory and warning off predators. You provoked a stronger reaction in me in less than an hour in a fucking Starbucks than any of my previous relationships!"
Quinn laughed again at the drama Rachel was exuding. "I see metaphors are still important to you then?" She arched that famous eyebrow and smiled. "You said previous girlfriends? Are you with anyone right now? It's not public knowledge that you're gay is it?"
"No it's not. My publicist doesn't want me to come out publicly whilst I'm tied in with the show. And no, I'm not seeing anyone right now. Is it so wrong to be completely in love with your job? It is my dream after all. Maybe they were right. Maybe I did love my job more than them. If I didn't show them much attention and I didn't fight for them, I couldn't have been that interested could I?"
"Maybe you just haven't met someone worth fighting for yet." There was no denying it was a statement and not a question, and it was underlined by the intense gaze Quinn was sending in Rachel's direction.
"What are you saying?" The brunette was wearing a confused frown and Quinn just wanted to cup her face in her hands and run her thumbs over the lines in her brow that the expression was creating, and smooth them away.
Smiling whilst maintaining the eye contact that now couldn't be broken between them, Quinn explained. "You were jealous of a woman who was flirting with me who I thought was attractive. Just so we are on the same page here, let me spell it out for you. You're hot. Especially in that skirt and with that fiery temper thing you had going on earlier. I wouldn't normally tell someone this but you seem the type to want to know..." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "...I was checking out your ass when we were outside."
Rachel laughed and kicked Quinn gently under the table.
"Very chivalrous, Quinn!"
"Well, I thought you'd want to know that I find you more attractive than the woman that had you "marking your territory" as you put it. And have you got something against my shins and feet? I'm gonna be battered and bruised later!" Laughter was definitely lightening the mood.
"Sorry." The sheepish response was quite endearing.
"It's okay, now where was I? Oh yeah, your ass." Another kick under the table. More laughter. "Okay, seriously. I don't think I realised it until you kissed me, obviously I'd noticed you're gorgeous, what I mean is, we were getting on so well but I hadn't had a chance to think it could be anything other than two old acquaintances catching up. Plus I didn't realise that we bat for the same team. But if you think about it, you had nothing to be threatened by."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've already told you that you're hot with a nice ass. Nice legs too by the way. Those shoes are lethal in more ways than one." Quinn's playful wink made Rachel's cheeks redden again. "I bought you a coffee. If that's not a cliché euphemism for a date then I don't know what is!"
"So you want to date me?"
"Rach, we just met after ten years, and before that we were never really friends, so we have a lot of catching up to do. But from what we've found out about each other this morning, it sounds like there is some sort of connection that we could build on if we both wanted to." She had a hopeful gleam in her eye as she put the ball firmly back in Rachel's court.
15-0
"I agree with you, Quinn. Everything you said holds the same logic I would use in this situation. I just hope you know what you're getting into. I wouldn't normally mention my past failings with ex-girlfriends with a prospective date but now you know, are you sure you want to try?"
15-15
"I know you're high maintenance, Rach." Rachel's eyes narrowed so Quinn rushed on before she could voice her displeasure at the comment. "Before you kick me again, that wasn't a criticism. Let me explain it better... What I mean is... I know it's in your nature to be dramatic and I know that you are living your dream right now. I would never do anything to change that. It's your first love, and no one can replace that. I knew you when it was a dream, before it became reality so I know what it means to you."
30-15
Rachel looked like she was about to cry. It was obvious to Quinn that nobody she'd dated had ever realised how important her career was to her and just saw her as another actress with a diva attitude.
40-15
"Do you know what else I've found out about you this morning?"
"What?" Rachel's voice made her sound more vulnerable than Quinn had ever heard her before.
"I've found out that you have very inviting lips and I really want to feel them on mine again. Just give me at least half a second of warning next time though. How does that sound?"
"It sounds very agreeable to me, Ms. Fabray." She smiled as she leaned across the table to meet Quinn halfway.
"I'm very glad to hear it, Ms. Berry."
Game Set and Match
Quinn slowly edged forward too and her smiling lips met Rachel's in a tender kiss that took the breath away from both of them. It was sweet but powerful all at once and Quinn quickly realised she could get very used to this. Rachel thought she should probably give Scott a raise the next time she saw him.